Ryan Getzlaf joins Sidney Crosby, Claude Giroux as Hart finalists
The NHL announced Thursday that Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf, Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby and Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers are finalists for the NHL's Hart Trophy, awarded to the league's MVP.
Getzlaf, 28, had 31 goals and 56 assists for the Ducks, who won the Pacific Division for a second consecutive year and earned the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
The Ducks are to start their second-round series against the Kings on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Honda Center.
Getzlaf finished second in points behind Hart Trophy favorite Crosby, who had 36 goals and 68 assists and scored at least one point in 60 of the 80 games he played.
Crosby won the Hart in 2007, and was runner-up for the award in 2009-10 and last season.
Giroux matched his career high with 28 goals and, with 86, was third in points for the Flyers, who, after starting the season with a 3-9 record, lost to the New York Rangers in Game 7 of their first-round series Wednesday.
Getzlaf, who navigated a nasty gash under his mouth and the birth of his third child during the first round of the playoffs, had three goals and four assists in the Ducks' first-round series win over the Dallas Stars.
'They know ... I want to be out there at any cost,' Getzlaf said this week. 'You want to show your team you're going to do what it takes to win in the playoffs.'
Getzlaf is the fourth player in team history to be a Hart finalist, joining 2010-11 winner Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne (third in 1997-98) and Paul Kariya (second in 1996-97).
The Hart Trophy is to be presented as part of the NHL Awards ceremony June 24 in Las Vegas.
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